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By ANDREW VOGELDaily Record Sports WriterPublished: October 24, 2012 4:00AM

SMITHVILLE -- The Waynedale volleyball team came into its Div. III Smithville District semifinal in the midst of the best season in school history and relatively new to tournament play. Orrville, meanwhile, made it to regionals two years ago and is no stranger to playing deep in the postseason.

The difference in experience was evident at the outset.

The Red Riders used a pair of big runs early to knock off the Golden Bears 25-16, 25-23, 25-16 in Tuesday's semifinal. Orrville (17-7) jumped off the deck by scoring the first six points of the opening set before taking a commanding 17-6 advantage and closing out the opener, then used a 16-6 streak midway through the second game to take control with a 2-0 set lead.

Orrville coach Sarah Kutschinski said that by competing in the rugged Ohio Cardinal Conference against bigger schools her team is battle-tested once postseason play starts. The Red Riders are accustomed to playing in tight games as well as playing from behind.

"In our schedule, we have to play our very best to win," said Kutschinski. "We've been in so many different experiences this season and that helps when you get to tournament play."

On Tuesday, though, the Riders were in the driver's seat from the very outset. Waynedale's front and back lines both had trouble finding their rhythm at the outset, with the Riders taking advantage. After staking a 6-0 lead in Game 1, the Riders came through with a series of kills from Rylee Scott, Hannah Plybon and Trinniti Hall to take the suspense out of the opener barely before it had even begun. The freshman Hall, who finished with seven kills, closed out Game 1 with a thunderous spike that nearly dented the floor.

Kutschinski said the Riders used a fast-paced attack to build an early lead and never let up. Offensively, Orrville was led by three seniors in Scott (14 kills), Plybon (seven kills, 13 assists) and Maggie Davault (21 assists, three aces).

"Our seniors do an outstanding job of being relentless," she said. "They're extremely competitive and they don't get riled. They set the tone and our younger players follow that."

Waynedale (20-5) responded by taking a 5-1 lead in Game 2, but the Riders roared back as Scott put on a clinic in the front row en route to a 17-11 Orrville lead. The Bears did manage to knot the score at 22-22, but Orrville won its final three points thanks to two big hits from Scott and one from Hall.

"They've played together for all these years and we had a hard time keeping up with them," said Waynedale coach Jodi Shilling.

Orrville went on to take Game 3 by a nine-point margin after it led for the entire set. The biggest difference in the match was that any time Waynedale tried to mount a rally and get back into the game, Orrville came up with a timely point, usually in the form of a momentum-shifting kill.

"We were patient and relentless," said Kutschinski. "No matter how many times they hit the ball back, we had to be one ball better on every rally."

Waynedale, which was led offensively by Alyson Near (nine kills) and Rachel Griffin (six kills), is without a single senior on its roster and Shilling said the biggest hurdle is getting her players to take control and go on the offensive.

"Our team has been working on getting more aggressive," said Shilling. "You have to have that finishing fire -- 'We're going to take this' -- and we're still working on that."

The Riders now move on to face Dalton, which defeated Canton Central Catholic, in Thursday's district final at 7 p.m. The Riders' last trip to regionals came in 2010, when they fell to Gilmour Academy in the regional final in five sets.

The Golden Bears hope to raise the level of the program to where Orrville currently stands. The Golden Bears' 20 wins this season set a school record -- the previous best was 17. With every single player returning next fall, the Bears have a great opportunity to raise the bar.

"We're going to be all be together again next year and that's exciting," she said. "Our goal's been 'How can we be better than last year?' That's their attitude."

If the Bears can make another run next year, they'll certainly have a little more tournament experience to draw from.

Andrew Vogel can be reached at 330-287-1624 or avogel@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andvogel.